Paris: French officials say a man armed with a knife was shot to death by officers at a police station in northern Paris.

Two officials say the man had wires extending from his clothing, and an explosives squad was rushed to the site.

The man reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) and was carrying a knife and what turned out to be a 'fake' suicide vest.

French police patrol near the Boulevard de Barbes in the north of Paris on January 7, 2016, after police shot a man dead as he was trying to enter a police station in the nearby Rue de la Goutte d'Or. French police shot dead a suspected suicide bomber as he attacked the police station, a year to the day since jihadist gunmen killed 12 people at Charlie Hebdo newspaper. Pic/AFP

The two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, said the shooting came shortly after noon on Friday, the anniversary of the attacks against the Charlie Hebdo newspaper.

Minutes before, French President Francois Hollande had paid homage to police officers killed in the line of duty, including three police shot to death last January.

Police said the neighbourhood in northern Paris was locked down after the shooting.